---
id: "lib-2026-09-03-does-ai-assistance-enhance-or-erode-expertise"
type: "library"
title: "Does AI Assistance Enhance or Erode Expertise? Evidence from a Three-Month Field Experiment in Patent Drafting (w35720)"
lang: "EN"
org: "NBER"
source_type: "Paper"
date: "2026-09-03"
week: "2026-W36"
url: "https://nosov.ai/library/lib-2026-09-03-does-ai-assistance-enhance-or-erode-expertise/"
original_url: "https://www.nber.org/papers/w35720"
tags: ["future of work", "enablement", "skills", "field experiment"]
---

# Does AI Assistance Enhance or Erode Expertise? Evidence from a Three-Month Field Experiment in Patent Drafting (w35720)

## English summary

Pre-registered RCT, 133 patent lawyers at 11 firms: AI raises delivered quality +0.34 SD (10 d) / +0.38 SD (90 d); unaided redline after 3 months +0.32 SD, all among seniors (+0.45 SD), juniors bifurcate.

Original: https://www.nber.org/papers/w35720